Read the signs

It's funny how the older you get, you see things somehow more clearly. This sums up my current feeling about writing.

I was never a good writer growing up; just ask my parents and high school English teachers. I was an average writer. It took a progressive school like Hamilton College to hone my writing skills. It definitely improved by my Senior Year, and has continued to grow since then. Scientific and medical writing notwithstanding, my writing seems to be growing into its own. I know I have a long way to go, but I am getting more and more comfortable with my writing.

I have met two travelers thus far who have inspired me to continue my writing skills. One is Amy, a freelance journalist from Massachusetts who has been covering Africa for the past 10 months. She has spent considerable time in India prior to her stint in Africa. We were talking last night about her writing, what inspires her, and how I could hone my skills. She made some great recommendations. So also made an interesting observation: Physicians really have it made. While most are clinical, see patients, etc., they can become literally anything: a writer, a teacher, etc., and can inform the world about the human body and spirit, and can really have a voice. It is quite awesome! Made me feel proud of my accomplishments as a physician, and the possibilities in the future. 

The other is a Lithuanian named Isabelle who has taken time off from life to travel the world, and write a book. She is a journalist back in Lithuania, but wants to do something different, something more profound. She is young, idealistic, and I think will do well. Most importantly, she is open-minded. This, my friends, is the key point to writing. We get so bogged down in the mundane, we don't see so many things right in front of us. These chance encounters have taught me that.

Lesson for today: Keep an open mind, and the rest will follow. Our own anxieties will only hinder the creative process, and our own success, however we measure it. 

Until next time...

Love life, Find meaning, Be happy,

Craiger